Anthony Hernandez vs. Gregory Rodrigues elevated to UFC OKC co-main event

Anthony Hernandez and Gregory Rodrigues have been elevated to the co-main event slot at UFC Oklahoma City, scheduled for July 18, with the card's overall lineup receiving a significant reshuffle.

Hernandez, nicknamed "Fluffy," enters the bout ranked third in the middleweight division and carrying a 15-3 record. The 32-year-old American trains out of MMA Gold Fight Team and brings a legitimate finishing threat in all phases. He lands 4.57 significant strikes per minute at a 60 percent accuracy rate — an unusually high mark — and generates a remarkable 5.88 takedown attempts per 15 minutes, giving him one of the more well-rounded offensive profiles in the 185-pound class.

The main card still sits atop one of the more compelling headliners the promotion has booked in recent memory, with Dustin Poirier facing Kamaru Usman in a five-round bout. Poirier, 37, holds a 30-10 record and has long been a finishing threat, landing 5.24 significant strikes per minute at 50 percent accuracy while also mixing in 1.15 takedowns per 15 minutes.

Elsewhere on the main card, Kevin Holland returns against Joe Smith. The 33-year-old Holland owns a 29-15 record and stands six-foot-three with an 81-inch reach — one of the longer frames in the welterweight and middleweight landscape. He averages 4.26 significant strikes per minute and has historically leaned on his range and volume.

The reshuffled lineup came after Charles Jourdain and Marlon Vera were moved off this card to a separate event.

Why it matters

• Hernandez sits at number three in the middleweight rankings, meaning a strong performance could push him directly into title contention
• The Rodrigues matchup pits two finishers against each other, raising the card's overall entertainment stakes
• Poirier vs. Usman anchors the night in a five-round format, lending added significance to the co-main billing Hernandez and Rodrigues now carry